I am a Liberal because I believe that love is better than hate, because I believe in celebrating success and never resenting it, and because I do not mock failure. I believe in enough government to help us all achieve success, but not too much government to stifle initiative and creativity.

With only two days to go before the deadline, the Liberal Party of Canada (LPC) is working feverishly to deal with a communications glitch that could jeopardize recent gains. The Libs established a new category of participant in an effort to get the electorate more involved. The only problem is, with this new designation came a new process that appears to be causing some grief.

Avid news junkies know there's really five other folks "running," but c'mon folks, this is the leadership of the Liberal Party you're running for, a job only the most eminently experienced children of dead prime ministers are qualified to fill.
In reality, of course, Wednesday was a date like any other for a nation that's already been toiling under the weight of a Liberal leadership tournament ever since Bob Rae stepped down last June, or at latest since that crisp October evening when Justin Trudeau threw his shimmering locks into the ring.

These are not, nor have the past five years, been the best of times to be a card carrying member of the Liberal Party. I'm barely old enough to recall a Canada that come election night was painted a deep Liberal red. Anyone much younger than me has the right to ask: what Liberal Party?

The new conventional wisdom that Stephen Harper and Thomas Mulcair are jockeying for "the centre" is laughable. The only objective is political power, nothing more. The Liberal Party of Canada is the country's one and only authentic centrist party. Liberals have never strayed far from the sensible and vital centre in economic, social, or foreign policy.

Shame on you Liberal party: You have taken a party that I cared about for most of my adult life and made me ashamed to say that I vote Liberal. I'm mad at you, damn it, and you should care about that. And so, I'm going to be way presumptuous and give you my five cents on the matter.

Over the weekend a new poll was published that said a majority of Liberal and NDP supporters are in favour of merging. I'm not one of them. This isn't a matter of political expediency. I'm mystified at why so many Liberals appear so ready to fold the tent and call it a day on one of the most impactful institutions in Canadian history.

A compelling leadership requires a relevant vision. That's what the Liberal Party historically has provided Canadians. In the last few years, many Liberals have let their memories become greater than their dreams. Canadians want to hear about our dreams more than they want to be educated about our past.

As a candidate, there was nothing that perplexed and infuriated me more than Liberals asking me: "Dan, what do we stand for?" Why in the world, I thought, would anyone join a political party if they had absolutely no clue what their membership even represents?